Today is the Independent Czechoslovak State Day, commemorating the day when the state of Czechoslovakia declared independence from the Austro-Hungarian empire at the end of World War I, in a bloodless revolution in Prague. It’s worth noticing that even though 20 years ago this year, Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Czechs […]

Today is the Fiesta Nacional de España (sounds a lot better in Spanish, doesn’t it?). There’s a very historical reason why it is celebrated today; it commemorates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ first arrival in the Americas, on October 12 1492.

Most of us probably have some kind of memory of the time when East- and West-Germany was reunited. In November 1989 – when the “Berliner Mauer” came down – the whole world was watching. Less than a year later, on October 3 1990, the two sides were finally officially one again. The regions; Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, […]

And let’s hear it for the new king! What better day for King Albert II to abdicate and his son Philippe to take over than the National Day, especially since July 21st commemorates the day King Leopold I took the constitutional oath as the first king of Belgium, in 1831, less than a year after […]

Vive la République! We all know it’s France’s national day today, and we all get pictures of the military parade on Champs Elysées and fireworks in our heads, while we think about the mythical storming of the Bastille and hum”Do You Hear the People Sing?”. Right?

“Hey baby, it’s the 4th of July” goes the chorus line of a song by X, an L.A. punk band from the 1980’s. Indeed it is. Also known as Independence Day, July 4th commemorates America’s liberation from that pesky British rule. The original Thirteen Colonies legally split from the Empire two days earlier and on July 4th, 1776 […]

July 1st is Canada Day, celebrating the anniversary of Canada’s confederation. The Constitution Act of 1867 joined Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Canada province (now Ontario and Quebec) into one country, granting Canada a substantial amount of independence from England. Not until 1982 did Canada become a completely independent country though, and this was also […]

A bit of a head start, the National Day of Luxembourg being tomorrow, but not really since the big party is tonight. Hence, today is a good day to talk about why and how we celebrate. Which most of you already know anyway, so let’s be brief. Tomorrow, we are celebrating the birthday of Grand […]

Portugal Day is officially known as “Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portugese Communities” and it is celebrated annually on 10th June. This day commemorates the death of national icon Luís Vaz de Camões on 10th June 1580. Camões wrote Os Lusíadas, an epic poem celebrating Portuguese history and achievements, mainly through the Portuguese explorations, […]

CLEW takes a closer look at national days around the world. How and why are they celebrated? And we throw in a recipe or two from that country for you to try. The first country is Sweden, by Lisa Fuchs. If you ever find yourself visiting Stockholm, the beautiful capital of Sweden, you absolutely must […]